SHAUGHNESSY CRESCENT

The Canadian Pacific Railway executives created First Shaughnessy in the early 1900s. Some of the largest homes were built on the Crescent, including the Frederick Kelly House at 1398 Crescent, the MacDonald House at 1388 Crescent, and the Fleck House at 1296 Crescent. These homes were designed by renowned architects to reflect Tudor England, Colonial America and Dutch settlements. Large, private gardens typically accompanied the design. These executives were able to source and plant unusual trees from the orient and eastern Canada, including the Japanese snowbell tree, flowering ash, red horse chestnut, and copper beech.

Lately, there has been a trend to demolish these houses in favour of larger, boxier houses that take advantage of the large lot sizes. The Fleck Mansion is one of these threatened homes. The City released a Heritage Action Plan in December 2013, which included a moratorium on demolition for one year while council considered steps for heritage conservation. In June 2014, council adopted temporary measures to protect pre-1940 character homes by prohibiting the demolition of character homes in First Shaughnessy.

The future of these heritage houses remains unknown. In the meantime, some of the best examples of Vancouver's estate homes can be seen on, and around, the Crescent.